I decided to head over to Mark McEwan's North 44 for my first winterlicious of 2014.
This was probably not a good idea as it has set my standards really high. Aka I'll tell you now that I really enjoyed this meal!
The restaurant inside is gorgeous. I love the set-up, the lights on the walls, and the open concept kitchen.
To start, we ordered a sauvignon blanc from Napa - great choice.
And now onto the food!
For the appetizer, V and I both ordered the Crab and Cauliflower Chowder.
with sweet corn, buttered croutons, and crisp parsley
I'm not normally a fan of soup (nor do I have sufficient knowledge to know what is considered a 'good soup') but to me, the only thing that matters is if I liked it. And I did.
Every little detail about this soup was lovely - from the sweet corn that was actually sweet, to the croutons that were not soggy, to the consistency of the creamy soup. Loved it! I never wanted it to end!
Happy and ready for our main course!
V ordered the Grilled USDA Prime Striploin.
served with roasted brussel and scallop potatoes
I had a couple bites and would have to say that the scallop potatoes were the best part of the dish!
I ordered the Roasted Mushroom Chicken Ballantine.
curried vegetable tangine, okra, and coriander
What got me was the mushroom and chicken combination. I loved the sauce (very Moroccan-like) and it went well with the mushroom-wrapped chicken.
Time for dessert!
V ordered the Sticky Toffee Pudding in honor of her love for Gordon Ramsay.
with prunes, dates, vanilla ice cream and hot toffee sauce.
Verdict: She loved it.
I ordered the Winter Verrine.
layers of spiced pumpkin cake, crème fraiche ice cream, milk chocolate sauce and praline
Disclaimer: I do not like pumpkin whatsoever.
But I decided to give this a try (it's all about trying new things, right?) and I actually enjoyed it. I don't know if it was because of the ice cream (because that was delicious with the chocolate and praline sauce), but it was amazing.
V and I ended up staying there for 3 hours (longest I've ever been at a restaurant without the server rushing me to leave). Overall, I had a great experience there. The service was great and our waiters were very attentive. The food was just delicious. I expected a lot from North 44 and I was not disappointed.
Thanks North 44 for starting off my Winterlicious 2014 :)
